Pros:
Aptos High School DGC is located in the beautiful city of Aptos, just minutes away from the beach, and neighbors Santa Cruz where De LaVeaga resides. This course in a lot of ways reminded me of a miniature De La, with the towering Eucalyptus trees, fast dirt fairways, ravines, elevation, and even the oak! Fairways were a mixture of tight tunnel shots through a labyrinth of trees and wide open fairways which required both distance and touch. Elevation was incorporated in much of the design, which makes this course much more challenging and enjoyable. During a round, players will have the opportunity to throw several types of shots at various distances so bringing your disc golf bag is a good idea. However, pros could get away with using a few discs or even just a Buzzz. This course is perfect for intermediate to advanced players, but would still be the perfect place to practice for pros. The holes are balanced, flow well, and are easy to follow if using the course map.
Even though it was my first time at this course, I grew up and lived near this area for over 20 years. That being said, directions to the course were extremely easy to follow, and the high school had plenty of parking available in the gravel lots below the football field. Bathrooms are on campus, but are not open to public during school hours or weekends, so just be aware and know that at least there are plenty of bushes to water. Terrain can be pretty rugged at times so bring good walking boots, sunscreen, and lots of water. The course was clean and well maintained, and the cement tee pads seemed to be the proper dimensions for this size course. The New Mach II baskets were all in great shape and caught well, and were placed strategically on many of the holes near obstacles.
Holes #6 and #8 stood out as two of their signature holes in Aptos. Hole #6 was a low 263 foot tunnel shot between two rows of Eucalyptus trees. Hole #8 was their most famous "top of the world" shot, which lived up to its name...although no De La. The hole was 435 feet with a steep drop and a fairway that gets increasingly more narrow toward the pin.Both are quite challenging in their own way, they're picturesque, and would make a fine addition to any course.
Cons:
Although there were several things about this course that impressed me, tee signs was not one of them. Without a map, first timers will definitely have some issues with navigation considering the course plays all around the campus and along the hillsides. Many of the tee signs are there but most have been marked up.
The walk out from hole seventeen to eighteen is a little long and all uphill, which I imagine can get old quickly. Fortunately, hole eighteen is a fun little downhill birdie shot that makes its way back toward the parking lot. There are however, some short open holes on this course which makes shooting under quite easy.
Last, the poison oak. Even though I don't have many issues with it, just be aware and know that if you stray too far from the fairway you could end up in trouble. It did look though that much of it had been cut out.
Other Thoughts:
Aptos High School DGC is one of the better courses I have played yet on a campus. These students are very fortunate to play this anytime they want. It can easily be incorporated in to their Physical Education program, a sports club, or for physical therapy. It is a perfect complimentary course to the other nearby ones like Pinto Lake, De LaVeaga, and Black Mouse.